Helps children get in touch with what they cannot describe in words and enables them to communicate it to others.

Through Therapeutic artmaking the therapist helps establish a strong connection to the creative and healing resources within the deep unconscious of the child.

Working with the child’s creativity ensures that the child will develop according to her or his nature.

Only individual work

Example:

A child prepares a big amount of blue paint to color a sculpture he had made before, but the sculpture breaks. Now he is upset and does not know what to do with the paint.

Child: Here, take. (Gives the therapist a loaded brush.

The therapist has a piece of paper in front of him. He paints an abstract shape.

Child: How did you do that?

Therapist: You can do it too. (Loads the brush and hands it to the child.)

Child: (Paints a shape. It is a very angry shape, because he is angry.) But it is not like what you did. How did you do it?

Therapist:: I’ll show you how to do it. First you have to close your eyes and imagine the shape that you want to draw.

(Child closes his eyes and imagines.)

Therapist:: When you see the shape in your imagination, you start moving it from your head, through your neck, shoulder, hand and your palm and to the brush. When it is in the brush you open your eyes and draw it quickly.

Child: It is here, (With his eyes closed, showing his shoulder), here, (showing his elbow),  here, (showing his palm..  Now he draws quickly. This time it is a very happy drawing.

The child marvels.

Child: You know what I really saw when I closed my eyes?

Therapist:: What?

Child: (Draws a man with a big hat.) This is a cook.

At this point the communication starts going deeper.